Madara, or Maddie, as I loved hearing Tobirama call him, cried himself to sleep in my arms.

I didn't dare to move him to my bed, and didn't know what he wanted or needed, so I tucked him into my couch where he had fallen asleep, put a blanket on him and a pillow beneath his head. He woke up for just a second as I did that, his eyes fluttering open.

"It's okay", I said. "You can go back to sleep."

And he seemed to believe me, because he was soon fast asleep again.

I smiled. I was known to be able to fall asleep pretty much anywhere and stay asleep for as long as I desired. "I'm going to sleep now", I would say to my friends as we travelled by train, then just put my head against their shoulders and fall asleep. I had never considered Madara to be the type, though. Although maybe, he was so exhausted now that he simply couldn't stay awake.

I went to my tiny bed such a small distance away from the sleeping black-haired man in my couch, scrolling through the news for a bit until I fell asleep to Madara's soft breathing (Tobirama snored, but Madara thankfully didn't). When I woke up, Madara was gone, but had left a note on the fridge.

Went to the gym. Didn't have any gym clothes so borrowed some of yours. Hope you don't mind. xx

I smiled softly. I used my gym clothes, like, twice a year.

When I came to work, most of my colleagues were there already, and Madera looked refreshed from his workout, hair still slightly wet and put up in a soft bun on his head. He smiled when he saw me enter and to my great glee, he wore my robe. I took his, not Tobirama's, wanting to make Madara happy.

"Hey", Madara said when I walked past. He turned to me, grabbed my arms softly. "Thank you. Thank you endlessly."

I let my fingertips brush his cheek. "You're so very welcome."

We got stuck like that for a while, his hands on my elbows, my fingertips on his stubbled cheeks.

"Hashirama."

I jerked and looked up. It was Tobirama. Shit. Had we been too physical at work? He had his arms crossed, looking... Angry or nervous, I thought, although I didn't know which. I honestly didn't like the prospect of either. "Please come with me to my office."

I gave Madara a small smile, then turned to follow my boss, whom I'd slept with, I couldn't help but think, into his office.

Tobirama didn't sit down behind his desk but on it, crossing his arms leisurely, one index finger on the bridge of his nose as if deep in thought. I stood in front of him, thinking that most people would be terrified in this situation, but I wasn't. I trusted the man in front of me endlessly. I was, however, nervous.

"I'm going to demand something of you", he said. "It's not a request. It's a take-it-or-leave-my-restaurant kind of situation." I swallowed. Fuck! This was far, far worse than anything I could've imagined. He wanted me to leave his restaurant? I released my hair from the clip I used, desperate to release at least some physical strain as I'd lost control of the strain I felt on the inside. "Hashirama..." I braced myself. "You are to be my junior chef." I just stared. "I know it's way, way beneath what you can do. You could be head chef. There's a reason I don't say anything when you wear my robe." I blushed. Tobirama smiled. "You're amazing. But I know you don't want to. However, you are to be my junior. I don't care if you pretend to have been promoted from a kitchen porter knowing nothing. You are promoted either way."

I was still in shock and couldn't answer. Then, I woke up, and I shook my head.

"I can't", I said. "I just can't."

"May I ask you why?" he asked.

I looked down. "Yes, you may. But I won't answer. My apologies."

"It's fine", Tobirama said and really sounded like he meant it. "But I stand strong in my decision. You become my junior chef. Or you leave."

It wasn't fair, and Tobirama knew it. He knew I couldn't leave. He knew I cared too much about Madara, and about him. But even if he knew my answer, he looked at me nervously, bit his lip. Please, his eyes said. Please!!

I sighed.

"God, no wonder Madara finds you annoying", I said.

Tobirama stood up, shoved his hands through his hair, breathed out loudly.

Maybe, I thought, he hadn't been so certain about my answer after all.

I was terrified Madara would start treating me differently once I got promoted.

I was afraid he would start considering me a threat, as someone who was coming to get his position.

Madara, however, couldn't have been more relaxed.

"I see you're holding back", he said, sneaking up behind me as I was chopping onions, putting his arms around my waist. "I've seen you chop when you think no-one is watching. That's not how you do it."

The way he said it was somehow breathtakingly hot.

But he accepted me pretending I was just a kitchen boy who'd gotten promoted to junior chef. Although I wondered if he would accept it if I had let my true talent shine through when others were around. What if he would feel threatened and do something like he had done?

The thought scared me.

That was, however, not an issue now.

Me and Madara started cooking together after work almost every day. Every other day he would take the lead, and every other day he would let me lead. It really was the way it was; he would let me lead. The dynamics between us was like that, him leading until he decided we'd do otherwise. It suited us perfectly. We would put on his or my Spotify playlist, depending on who had the lead, and we would sing together. I sang falsely but Madara was actually pretty good.

In one particularly tender moment, when I was showing how I sautéed leek, I felt him take my hand. I turned round.

"Hashi..."

He put his other hand around my waist, entwined our fingers, pressed his body close to mine as tenderly as a slow kiss, and he looked at me as he started to sway. I stared at him, lips parted, glistening as I put my hands on his shoulders we started dancing. I leaned my face into his neck, breathed his scent in. He smelled of a strong soap that was part lemon, part flowers and a heavy, musky cologne that suited his skin endlessly. His hand moved from my waist first to take my hand and entwine our fingers, then seemed to get a better idea and let his hand go to my chin and he guided me to his lips, giving me a kiss.

A real kiss.

Long, slow, tender.

It felt like the first time. 

One week later, I came to the kitchen to see everyone gathered around Tobirama, who was standing in the middle of the vast room, arms crossed in that way of his, a sneaky smirk on his face. What was this about? Tobirama didn't like attention, so gathering everyone around in a half circle wasn't like him. Was there an important guest coming tonight? We had loads of important guests, ranging from politicians to film stars, attending weekly. The only reason why he would've needed to pep-talk us was if there was royalty arriving, but we would've known earlier if that had been the case and even then I wasn't entirely certain Tobirama would make a fuzz about it. Come to think of hit, he never pep-talked us; he treated every night as equally important, giving all guests the same high status which was probably why he'd earned his Michelin stars.

Then, I saw Madara was standing next to him, a little distance away. Madara was, however, not smirking. He honestly looked very irritated, a glimpse of his old self displaying through the many layers of the man. I suddenly noticed Madara's neck was full of bitemarks. I smirked, a delicious mix of jealousy and excitement tumbling in the pit of my stomach to create an intoxicating cocktail; they had fucked each other since yesterday. I liked the fact that they couldn't stay away from each other.

Yet, Madara looked miserable. Tobirama did not. Tobirama looked like a man who'd just won the lottery.

"Hashirama!" he greeted. I had never heard him so excited. "Finally we're all here."

I unbuttoned my spring coat, realising nobody was interested in waiting for me taking it off and putting on my chef's robe; the room was charged with the anxiety of everyone wanting to figure out what was going on.

"So!" Tobirama clasped his hands together. Madara captured my eyes, smiled a crooked, sad smile. I don't want this but I don't have a choice, his eyes said. "I've tried to convince the man for years." Madara looked like he wanted to sink through the surface of the earth. I would follow you there, I thought. I had no idea where that thought came from. "Finally, he accepted!"

"You literally forced me", Madara muttered.

Tobirama ignored him.

"Madara will, from this day, be head chef together with me!"

I just gaped. The whole room just gaped.

Then, all broke out in a loud cheer. Our colleagues went up to him, having gotten closer to the man since he softened and considering him their friend, putting his back, hugging him, congratulating him. He couldn't help but smile.

I stood put, looking at him. I couldn't move. The scene was so touching, so beautiful that I wanted to copy it and paste it into my memory bank forever. You deserve it, I thought. Madara, my love, you deserve it.

He captured my eyes then, and his smile broadened. I hid a little behind my hair, still a bit shy of this new, happy man. Yes, something had happened that night when he called me that caused him turmoil, but he was so safe in himself and with us now that he only let it ripple his surface, not cook up an entire storm. I was proud of him. He was turning out to be a man I could see myself with.

"This means we have a new sous chef", Tobirama said. "He's an old friend." He checked his watch. "He should be here any minute."

And the front door opened.

All turned to the new sous chef, curious.

I heard gasps around the room when they recognised him; the new sous chef was well-know.

But I felt my knees buckle beneath me.

I put my hand out to catch myself on a countertop that wasn't there, causing me to stagger.

Stars swam before my eyes.

Everything became black for a while, just like when you stood up too fast and your blood pressure fell, although now I was standing to begin with.

"Are you all right?" someone said next to me.

Madara.

I felt like throwing up.

I backed away.

Then, I turned and walked out.

Because the new sous chef was Merlin.